The Character Flaws of Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth essays

The role Flaws of Macbeth Since The Tragedy of Macbeth was written there has been speculation about the cause of Macbeths d deliverfall. Readers conjecture whether Macbeths fall was caused by a flaw in his character, lady Macbeth, or an outside force of evil. Although the witches set a certain mood and Lady Macbeth exerts a certain influence on him, Macbeths downfall is caused by his own character. Macbeths tragic flaw in character was the paradoxical pairing of his emulation with his passivity. Throughout the play we see many examples of Macbeths conflict between his breathing in to attain the crown and his passive attitude towards the actions that are required to halt it. Macbeths breathing in is first illustrated in his susceptibility to the idea of becoming king, introduced by the witchs prophecies. When the witches greet Macbeth by saying, All hail, Macbeth That shall be king hereafter ( I, iii, 50) Banquo observes that Macbeth seems ecstatic (I, iii, 58) and Macbe th says, Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more?say from whence you owe this odd intelligence??.Speak, I charge you (71-79). As scholar A. C Bradley observes, The lyric of the witches are fatal to Macbeth only because there is in him something which leaps into light at the sound of them ( 289). However, this ambitious attitude soon changes to passivity when he realizes the laboured actions that are required of him. The contrast between Macbeths ambition and his passivity-caused by falter to do evil-is depicted clearly by his actions and thoughts that occur before he murders Duncan. Macbeth focuses on the deterrent, not the incentives he is plagued by the spectral bloody gummed label rather than the though... ...o Macbeth, they point to the unfolding of his evil. He was ambitious enough to pauperism to be king but not shrewd enough to endure thought through the eventual consequences of his conniving. Although there were many contributing factors to Macbeths downfall, t he prime cause was his own character flaw. His internal contradiction between ambition and passivity allowed him to become susceptible to the witches prophecies and Lady Macbeths wickedness and eventually take to his downfall and death. Works Cited Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy. Fawcett Publications Greenwich, Conn., 1965. Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Oxford University Press London, 1964. Stoll, Elmer Edgar. offset and Motive in Macbeth and Othello. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. Oxford University Press New York, 1961, 282-93.